- A documentary on the life and work of French actor Patrick Dewaere (1947-1982), best remembered for his misfit, tortured, down and out characters in many comedies and dramas. Even with some popularity and critical acclaim, Dewaere didn't felt all that accomplished and as battling depression, he committed suicide at age 35, after appearing in a dark comedy where his character also commits suicide.—John_Altman88
- Patrick Dewaere was born in 1947, into a family of artists and actors. Her mother, Mado Maurin, is a lyrical artist and from the 1950s, she settled in Paris and made all her children - "Les Petits Maurin" - work for the theater, on television, on the radio, in the cinema industry and even in circus, for many productions or shows. Young "Patrick Maurin" experienced difficulties, undergoing competition with his brothers to obtain this or that role. In 1967, he was chosen for two popular television series drama is the adaptation of the novel "Wuthering Heights" and the other, entitled "Jean de la Tour Miracle", a series of adventures during the period of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. At this period, he distances himself from his family and chose his new pseudonym "Dewaere". In 1968, he joined the "Café de la Gare" troupe where he performed various shows alongside Coluche and Miou-Miou. In 1974, he fell in love with Miou-Miou, just before the start of filming the film "Les Valseuses", a huge popular success in France and abroad also starring Gérard Depardieu.
Alongside the famous and very popular actor Lino Ventura, he played "The French Detective" in 1975 which was again a popular success. The following year, he played one of the leading roles in "The Best Way to Walk". His breakup with Miou-Miou who chose to live with the singer Julien Clerc, affected him deeply because together they had a daughter, Angèle Herry. The filming of the film "F comme Fairbanks" which Dewaere must film with his former partner is very painful for him. In 1976, he shot "Le Juge Fayard dit le Sheriff" and he again, obtained a victory at the French box office. Subsequently, he shot for various films which no longer met with the same success. In 1978, he joined again Gérard Depardieu for "Get Out Your Handkerchiefs", a sort of sequel to the 1974 "Going Places" movie, which was particularly appreciated internationally. In 1979, for the comedy "Coup de tête", Patrick Dewaere enjoyed some success in France. But then, the actor went on to make several rather dramatic films where he most often played the role of a loser. So the same year, he played in "Série noire" by Alain Corneau, a tragic and violent film which had a profound impact on him. In 1980, in "A Bad Son", he played the role of a young man mistreated by life , suffering from his drug addiction in his own life at this time, the actor Dewaere experienced the same injuries. The French press and media even went so far as to boycott him because he punched a journalist who attacked him and had betrayed, not respecting his wish to preserve the confidentiality of his marriage. His following films were penalized by this smear campaign. However, he managed to play several leading roles in films like "Hotel America" with Catherine Deneuve, "Beau Pere" by Bertrand Blier and "A Thousand Billion Dollars" by Henri Verneuil. His latest film "Paradis pour tous" describes how a fragile man commits suicide then is medically treated to become systematically carefree and optimistic, without any limits . The actor shooted himself and died in July 1982, before the release of the film and while he was preparing to shoot the film "Édith et Marcel" for Claude Lelouch.
This documentary interspersed with extracts from his films is also punctuated by various testimonies, including that of his daughter, Angèle Herry, then aged 16.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content